Ken Wright Cellars

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The Vineyard Regions
of the Northern Willamette Valley
While it is true that the Oregon wine industry is still in its infancy, definable grape growing regions have emerged. Three main geological events are responsible for the formation of these regions. The Willamette Valley was at one time a large body of inland seawater not unlike the Puget or Long Island Sounds. Water receded leaving behind a seabed of rich sedimentary soils. Volcanic activity pushing up through this sedimentary soil created the Dundee and Eola Hills. As recently as twelve to fifteen thousand years ago, the Great Missoula Floods occurred. The catastrophic failure of a twenty-five hundred foot high ice dam, burst forth the water from Lake Missoula at a rate of ten times the combined flow of all the rivers of the world. This event scattered debris from Canada and Montana across the Willamette Valley and helped to carve the Columbia River Gorge.

Vineyards of the Dundee Hills:
Vineyards planted in the Dundee Hills of the northern Willamette Valley provided the start for the modern wine industry of Oregon. These initial plantings took place in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. The most common soil type of the area is described as Jory. These soils are volcanic in origin with basalt as the mother rock. They are unusually deep for hillsides, often 6 to 8 feet to bedrock. There is also a high percentage of clay in the soil which, combined with the soil depth, tends to hold moisture later into the season than other soils we work with. The wine from this region typically displays aromas of red fruits, strawberry, cherry and raspberry. The mouth feel is often rich and emollient.

Vineyards of the Eola Hills:
The main development of the Eola Hills area took place from the mid 1970’s through the early 1980’s. The most common soil type of the area is described as Nekia. These volcanic soils are shallower, generally 1 to 3 feet in depth, and have less clay than the Dundee Hills. As a result, these soils will dry sooner, encouraging earlier ripening of the fruit. The wines of this area typically possess aromas of black fruits, black cherry, plum and cassis, with acidity levels that are naturally higher than in other growing areas, contributing to a sense of structure in the mouth.

Vineyards of the Yamhill Foothills:
The vineyards of the Yamhill foothills were planted mostly in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. The primary soil of this area is called Willakenzie, named after the Willamette and McKenzie rivers. It is a sedimentary soil with a sandstone base rock. The sand content is quite high and the soil therefore very well drained. The sites are generally on the lower slopes of a volcanic ridge. Wines of the area possess aromas of red and black fruits, with added elements of cocoa, leather and fresh-turned earth. Having the lowest acidity levels of these three areas, these powerful wines tend to be lush and agreeable at an earlier age.

Ken Wright Cellars Regions

Ken Wright
Cellars

Regions